lemon quinoa avocado salad

This kind of reminds me of the Jennifer Aniston salad that was going viral earlier this year. It’s made with quinoa (which is probably my favorite whole grain, although I don’t discriminate against carbs), avocado, red onion, cucumber, and fresh basil.

The salad is so flavorful it doesn’t need a strong dressing, so I used a light lemon olive oil vinaigrette. Probably the best thing about this salad is that it doesn’t have any lettuce that would get soggy so it’s a great option for meal prep!

You can add whatever protein you’d like. I used the mini dill pickle falafel from Trader Joe’s which was SO good - I highly recommend you try them at some point if you haven’t yet! Hope you enjoy xo

ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa

1/4 cup green peas

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 diced avocado

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1/4 cup diced cucumber

2 tbsp feta

3 falafel (I used Trader Joe’s dill pickle falafel)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dijon

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp maple syrup

pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of salt and pepper

recipe

1. cook quinoa in 1 cup boiling water

2. while quinoa cooks, make dressing by whisking together olive oil, dijon, lemon, minced garlic, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper

3. plate quinoa along with add peas, red onion, avocado, basil, cucumber and feta

4. add dressing and toss to coat everything with dressing

5. add whatever protein and sides you like! I added frozen falafel and a baguette

6. garnish with a few fresh basil leaves and enjoy!

prep time: 30 mins

nutrition: 615 calories, 19g protein, 41g carbohydrate, 37g fat, 15g fiber